Background: Neurodivergence has been established as associated with a significant number of co-occurring physical conditions, particularly for autistic individuals who are at risk for increased pain, hypermobility (including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and gastrointestinal problems. However, data, so far, has been focused on adults and generally…

As more autistic students enroll in postsecondary education, they embark on a journey that leads them to not only process their identities as college students but also as autistic individuals. This social constructivist grounded theory study elevated autistic college students' perspectives as they made sense of their identities while participating…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive designed study was to explore how special education teachers from a private special education school with self-contained classrooms describe their experiences teaching and how they identify and select instructional strategies based on student's individual instructional and cognitive needs when teaching…

Teaching students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at all educational and developmental levels represents a fundamental challenge for special education teachers. Teaching social skills, particularly to students with ASD, is arduous for two reasons: first, barriers in communication are paramount deficits in autism, and second, impairment in…

Professional development (PD) enhances teachers' effectiveness and fosters a more favorable disposition towards inclusive education. However, some teachers have expressed a sense of inadequacy in their readiness to instruct students with disabilities within inclusive classrooms due to a perceived deficiency in training. The perspectives of K-12…

Students with language and/or attentional difficulties are present in all classrooms, but evidence indicates they are poorly identified and supported. Reasonable adjustments are a legislative requirement, but these are often generic and fail to address instructional barriers. Students are uniquely placed to report on the pedagogical implications…

African American students have been overrepresented in school discipline and the criminal justice system for years. The tendency for this overrepresentation increases when the African American student has a disability, particularly emotional or behavioral disabilities. The problem addressed in this study is that African American students…

To address disparities in post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, federal legislation mandates appropriate education programs to include transition planning and programs for students with disabilities. Because administrators are held responsible for ensuring appropriate educational programs for all learners including those with…

This study examined the response of two students in the Southwestern United States with autism spectrum disorder and IQ in the intellectual disability range to a comprehensive, text-based reading intervention. The intervention, "Friends on the Block," includes multiple strands of literacy providing explicit instruction in phonics,…

Literacy instruction has an important role in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) because spelling and writing support precise communication. Unfortunately, few students with extensive support needs and complex communication needs (ESN/CCN) develop literacy skills at or above the first grade reading-level. Given that learning to read…

This literature review discusses the importance of proper transition support for students in special education and the correlation between their postsecondary success. The transition from K-12 to postsecondary education is essential to student success after graduating from high school and completing higher education programs. Students who need a…

Disability support office (DSO) staff are responsible for providing appropriate support for an increasing population of undergraduate students with autism. A total of 153 DSO staff members in higher education institutions in the United States completed an online survey on their autism attitudes and knowledge, previous contact with autistic people,…

Manipulative-based instructional sequences--including both concrete and virtual manipulative instructional sequences--are evidence-based or research-based mathematical interventions for students with disabilities. However, as options for manipulative-based instructional sequences increase, educators need support in deciding the best approach. In…

This qualitative case study aimed to explore how general education teachers described their interaction with students with moderate/severe disabilities in an inclusive education setting. The problem addressed by this study was that the negative perceptions of secondary-school general education teachers regarding the inclusion of a student with…

Students with learning difficulties form the largest group of students with additional needs in Australian mainstream classrooms. However the terminology surrounding these students differs broadly across the country. A consistent and shared understanding of the term learning difficulties is vital, as this impacts the identification and equitable…